Chapter 3

The next afternoon, I went back to the sanctuary.

Lily was bandaging the paw of an injured wolf pup.

Her technique wasn’t as professional as mine, but it was gentle and meticulous.

“Lily.”

She looked up, a surprised smile gracing her lips when she saw me.

As always, she gently typed out her words on her phone.

[Elena! You’re back? My head is much better, thank you for your healing yesterday.]

“I wanted to buy you a coffee,” I said. “You look like you could use a break.”

She did look exhausted, with faint dark circles under her eyes.

[Okay, I guess there is something I’d like to talk about.]

The corner cafe was quiet. We found a small table in the back.

Lily quietly stirred her hot chocolate, seeming to hesitate over something.

“Is something on your mind?” I asked softly.

Lily looked up at me, her eyes shimmering with tears.

She took out her phone, her fingers trembling as she typed, and then pushed the screen toward me.

[There’s something I don’t know who to tell.] the screen read.

I nodded, encouraging her to continue.

New text appeared: [I’m pregnant.]

My heart skipped a beat, but I kept my expression calm. “Congratulations.”

She shook her head, typing again: [But the baby’s father… I think he’s pulling away. He hasn’t answered my calls in 24 hours.]

Tears started to roll down her cheeks.

“He used to reply to every single message. He’d bring me food, make sure I was safe. But since yesterday, it’s like he’s vanished.”

She wiped her tears and kept typing.

[Elena… do you think… he’s already married? Am I destroying someone’s family?]

A bone-deep chill washed over me as I read her words.

Not because she’d guessed the truth.

But because I knew, with sickening certainty, that with a personality as kind and naive as Lily’s, if I told her the truth, she would absolutely choose to disappear quietly with the child.

And a furious, unhinged Julian, having lost the love of his life, who would he blame?

The “culprit” who made him lose her—me.

And the tragedy of my first life would repeat itself. Only faster. And worse.

My people, my parents, would once again become sacrifices to his rage.

A vicious voice screamed in my soul.

Tell her. Let her run.

Let Julian lose his mind over her.

Let him burn.

But a smaller, trembling voice whispered, What about our people?

“I… need to use the restroom,” I said, practically fleeing from the table.

Staring at my pale face in the cold mirror, I dialed the encrypted number.

“Marcus, it’s me.”

“Elena?” The voice of Alpha Marcus of the Silver Moon Pack was steady. “Your people are here. They're safe. Deep in my territory, under my protection.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank you.”

“But Elena, are you sure about this? Julian won’t let you go easily.”

“I don’t have a choice anymore.”

After hanging up, I sent a mind-link to my mother.

“Mom.”

“Elena, my dear.” My mother’s voice was warm and full of love. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Did you all arrive safely?”

“Yes, Marcus’s people have been very kind. But Elena, are you truly set on rejecting the bond? It’s very dangerous.”

I closed my eyes, the images of my past life flashing behind them.

My parents imprisoned in a dungeon, my people slaughtered, and me, the final sacrifice.

“Mom,” I asked, my voice tight, “no matter what I do... will you stand with me?”

“Of course, my daughter.” My mother’s voice was filled with unconditional love. “Whatever you decide, we support you. You are always our pride, and all we want is for you to be free and happy.”

Tears blurred my vision.

“Thanks, Mom. I know what I have to do now.”

When I returned to my seat, Lily was staring at her phone screen, an unread message displayed.

She saw me and quickly put the phone away.

“Was that him?” I asked.

Lily nodded, a complicated mix of hope and fear on her face.

“He said he’s coming to see me tonight,” she typed. “But Elena, what should I do? If he really has a family, I can’t keep doing this.”

I looked into her innocent eyes, a storm of complex emotions rising within me.

She had no idea that the child she was carrying was the final straw that had utterly destroyed my previous life.

She had no idea that her kindness and purity were the cold-hearted Alpha’s only weakness.

And she had no idea that her very existence was my only chance at freedom.

“Lily,” I said, gently touching her hand, “no matter what happens, remember that you are innocent. You just loved someone. That’s not a crime.”

She nodded, her eyes shining with trust.

[Thank you, Elena. Talking to you makes me feel so much better.]

I stood up to leave. Just as I did, she called me back.

[Elena, can I ask you one more question?]

I turned to look at her.

She typed on her phone: [If the man you loved... already belonged to someone else... what would you do?]